she makes sense but children should be restricted when they are “children”. train them up well, and leave them to be themselves once they are old enough, which for me is 18 years and above. i will restrict my children in certain things till they are 18 or i feel they are mature and responsible enough, but certain restrictions will stop only when my child moves out of my house.

“Restriction breeds creativity…encourage the child to express themselves and not shut them down.”
This sentence is contradictory. When children are encouraged to express themselves, you are not ‘restricting’ them. Just saying.

Grew up/Growing up with only my Mama too. Her version was teach me early that everything has consequences. Great Grades in school=Extra Money, Do the dishes=Money, Sweep the House, clean my room, babysit my cousins etc. She didn’t interfere with how I spent my money, but the only thing she assured me was food in the house and money if I was well behaved. She taught me saving(in a Danish cookie box as our version of the piggy-bank), how to draw up a budget and sat me down at 14 to tell me how cooking after coming back from work everyday was stressful to her, I have been cooking ever since.
She wasn’t and still is not my friend though, 10 belt strokes on each hand for breaking curfew no be joke and the day I stole N50 from her, let’s just leave it touching somebody else’s property now disgusts me. The most hilarious part for me is recently discovering that Igbo men aren’t supposed to prostrate to their Mothers.
I turned out all right though, so I guess like most things in life, raise your kids your own way and fingers crossed they won’t kill anybody and maybe make you proud.

Oh Nse!!! I’ve missed you. Your hair and skin are on 10.:) 🙂 You look good girl!!! Wow. And yes, my parents restricted me from certain things (eternally grateful to them) and I think that’s exactly how I will raise my kids. No, they can’t sniff any technology at a young age, and I will tell them why; and I will curtail the kinds of friends they keep. Yes, yes, it is a rough world out there but I learnt BEST by watching my parents. I finally understood why I could not visit some of my friends and why I didn’t have certain things. Set them on the right path, be a good example to them and I promise you, life will reinforce whatever standard you’ve set at home.

Its tough love, honey. If you don’t give them a strong foundation, there would be 7+ billion people that would trample and bury them free of charge.